1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a worm-harvesting method and apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Worms are now big business in the United States and elswhere. They are raised, harvested, packaged and marketed on a large scale, not only for fish bait but also as a source of protein for pet foods and in some countries for human consumption.
Worm farming is done by raising and breeding the worms in so-called breeding boxes or bins, of which there are many types and styles, some of which are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,748,747; 2,867,055; 3,566,836; and 3,654,903. Typically the breeding box includes bedding material consisting of peat moss and a worm food composition such as manure and cottonseed meal in a layer some four inches or more thick overlying a layer of worm castings which can be sold for fertilizer. Most bins work on the principle that worms are repelled by light and seek darkness. Therefore, in a typical breeding box, the top is covered with a black plastic above the bedding material which keeps the worms within their bedding material and keeps moisture within the box. Because mature worms lay one egg per week for approximately 20 years, periodically a bin must be either harvested to remove the mature worms or "cut" by transferring one-half of the worm population to another bin.
Heretofore worms have been harvested commercially using a mechanical shaking process. Bedding material containing worms is placed on a screen at a slight inclination to the horizontal and then the screen is vibrated or shaken so that the immature worms and bedding material sift through the screen and the larger, mature worms drop over the lower end of the screen where they are collected for market. This prior harvesting process is harmful to the worms, damaging and killing many. The apparatus is also expensive.
Worms can also be harvested by hand. In this method worm-filled bedding material is spread out in thin layers and the larger worms are laboriously hand picked from the bedding. However, naturally this is time consuming and therefore very expensive.
From the foregoing it will be apparent that there is a need for a faster, easier and less damaging method and apparatus for harvesting worms.